Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun The fifth month of the year in the Gregorian calendar.
  • noun The springtime of life; youth.
  • noun The celebration of May Day.
  • Cape,A peninsula of southern New Jersey between the Atlantic Ocean and Delaware Bay. The southern tip forms Cape May Point.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • proper noun The fifth month of the Gregorian calendar, following April and preceding June.
  • proper noun The hawthorn or its blossoms (as it blooms in May)
  • proper noun A female given name, pet name for Mary and Margaret, reinforced by the month and plant meaning.
  • proper noun A surname.

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Middle English, from Old French Mai, from Latin Māius (mēnsis), (the month) of Maia, from Māia, an Italic goddess; see meg- in Indo-European roots.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Middle English, from Old English, from Old French mai, from Latin māius ("Maia's month"), from Maia, a Roman earth goddess, possibly from Proto-Indo-European *magya, she who is great, from Proto-Indo-European base *meg-, great

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Examples

  • Promoted to Headline (H3) on 2/20/09: Obama's 'Seven Days in May' Moment yahooBuzzArticleHeadline = 'Obama\'s \'Seven Days in May\' Moment '; yahooBuzzArticleSummary =' Article: The current Republican strategy appears to be to hobble the Obama administration out of the gate, have it stumble forward through a deteriorating economy and collapse before the 2010 and 2012 elections, enabling the GOP to retake control of the government.

    Obama's 'Seven Days in May' Moment 2009

  • Promoted to Headline (H2) on 10/16/08: Meet the Protester Who 'May Have Received a Minor Injury' at the Hofstra Debate yahooBuzzArticleHeadline = 'Meet the Protester Who \'May Have Received a Minor Injury\' at the Hofstra Debate '; yahooBuzzArticleSummary =' Article: The mainstream media play down the fact that 10 of the 15 protestors arrested at last night\'s debate were Iraq veterans.

    Meet the Protester Who 'May Have Received a Minor Injury' at the Hofstra Debate 2008

  • Theresa May sorry for the unintentional pun here may be the Tory MP for Maidenhead, but Teresa May* on the other hand is a UK porn star.

    Archive 2006-04-01 Kerron Cross 2006

  • Theresa May sorry for the unintentional pun here may be the Tory MP for Maidenhead, but Teresa May* on the other hand is a UK porn star.

    Theresa May, But Teresa Definitely Would. Kerron Cross 2006

  • [June appears at the further end of the garden, coming slowly towards May, who, seeing her, exclaims] _May.

    Poems Christina Georgina Rossetti 1862

  • May -- that being the day on which Theseus had intercepted the duel, -- then the entry into Athens of the rival companies would take place on {203} (Sunday) the second, and the sacrifices and feasting on the _third of May_, the last of the Floralia.

    Notes and Queries, Number 72, March 15, 1851 A Medium of Inter-communication for Literary Men, Artists, Antiquaries, Genealogists, etc. Various 1852

  • Minister Yukio Hatoyama reiterated Monday his government's intention to decide by May where to relocate the Futenma U.S. S.n. Inouye urges Japan to settle Futemma relocation issue by May+

    WN.com - Articles related to Local Vote Could Decide Japan Base Issue 2010

  • This passage might be read, "which is in this country in May:" _lequel commence en ces pays là est en May_.

    Voyages of Samuel De Champlain — Volume 02 Samuel de Champlain 1601

  • May 11, Monday, and May 16, Saturday, 9: 30 a.m., healing Mass at Kamay ni Hesus;

    Now What, Cat? 2009

  • May 25, Monday, and May 30, Saturday, 9: 30 a.m., healing Mass at Kamay ni Hesus (with another healing Mass at 5: 30 p.m., at the Graceland Estates, Tayabas, Quezon); and

    Now What, Cat? 2009

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